Ohio school votes to arm science teacher with gun

Published: January 17, 2013 7:39 AM

ORRVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- A northeast Ohio school district plans to allow a science teacher to carry a firearm during class -- a move the superintendent says was prompted by last month's mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school.

WEWS-TV in Cleveland reports (http://bit.ly/USlpXa ) that the science teacher at Orrville City Schools is also an officer with the nearby Lawrence Township Police Department.

Orrville City Schools Superintendent Jon Ritchie says there was little opposition to the move from the district, which is about an hour southwest of Cleveland.

Ritchie says the district approached the teacher about the idea. He says it saves the schools from hiring security personnel.

Orrville resident Nicole Walker tells the station that having someone inside her children's school following the Newtown, Conn., shooting puts her mind even more at ease.